Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Day the Walls Fell

Sixteen years had passed since the night Daniel Frost vanished into the desert winds. The world had grown used to chaos, balancing awkwardly between civilization and mutation. Cities rose, fortified and monitored, where humans and mutants coexisted under strict surveillance. Most people learned to live with fear the same way they lived with gravity it was just always there.Saul Weber was late.He ran through the crowded streets, half-eaten toast in one hand, worn satchel swinging over his shoulder. The morning sun burned through the smog as digital billboards flashed news updates: new containment zones, rogue mutant sightings, another government briefing on stabilization serums. Saul ignored it all. He was too busy calculating how many minutes he had before Professor tore into him for being late again.When he finally burst into the lecture hall, panting and sweating, silence filled the room. The aging professor only smiled, adjusting his glasses. "You're late again, Mr. Weber," he said mildly, "but we'll let it pass… genius tends to lose track of time."A ripple of laughter broke the tension. Saul slid into his seat, embarrassed but grinning. Everyone knew he was one of the university's brightest minds always ranking top in biogenetics and evolution studies. He had a fascination with mutants, their cells, their biology. Professors whispered that he might one day find a cure for mutation failure.The class went on, equations sprawling across holographic boards. Saul's hand shot up with answers to nearly every question about gene instability patterns, mutation reaction rates, or the ethics of altering DNA. He was focused, confident, until the sirens began to wail.A deep, mechanical alarm shook the hall: Rogue mutant alert—Zone 4. Evacuate immediately.Panic erupted. Students stumbled over chairs, clutched their bags, shouted names. The electronic locks sealed the exits to prevent a mass chaos. Outside the tall doors, the university trembled..Then came the sound—heavy, unsteady, each footstep cracking the ground beneath it. Walls groaned. Lights flickered. The monster was close.Saul froze, staring toward the doorway. The temperature dropped as if all the air had fled the room. Everyone ducked beneath their desks. Breathing became a fragile act. The only sound left was the rhythm of footsteps and the slow creak of the door sliding open. It was colossal its spine twisted, muscles bulging unnaturally beneath half charred skin. Its eyes glowed a dull white, its body rippling with unstable energy. A failed mutant. One of the monsters birthed from rejection, madness, and pain.Professor trembled, sweat glistening on his forehead. "Stay quiet," he whispered. But the mutant turned, its gaze landing on him. The silence shattered.With one motion, the creature moved too fast for anyone to process. It grabbed the professor by the head and crushed it like glass. The sound echoed. The floor stained crimson. For an instant, time stopped. Then the screams began.Students scattered, grabbing notebooks, chairs, anything for defense but nothing mattered. The walls collapsed, dust choking the room. Saul ducked behind a fallen table, heart racing. He tried to crawl away, but his hands shook too violently.He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. But his body always weak, always fragile refused. He curled into a corner, tears streaming as debris fell around him. The chaos outside merged with the chaos inside his mind.The building trembled once more, then everything went black...